If I Think I Have a Lemon, Do I Really Need to Hire a Lawyer?

Posted on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 by David Gorberg

Lemon laws exist to help protect you if your vehicle does not meet certain quality standards. However, if you ever have the misfortune of purchasing a lemon, you may be wondering whether you need a lawyer to help you with your claim. And the answer is an unequivocal “yes”.

While some state’s laws are straightforward enough that as long as you provide proper documentation you can do the paperwork yourself, there are a number of pitfalls that only a proper lawyer can help you with. In particular, if you think that you have a lemon, then you should consult with an attorney to see if you have a legitimate case before spending any more time on the case. In fact, a number of lawyers (including our lemon law firm) do offer a free consult.

Laws regarding fees are another consideration that a lemon law lawyer can help with. In some states, if you win the claim, then the manufacturer has to pay your legal fees, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Before you take any action, you need to research what your state’s laws are regarding legal fees and responsibility.

Additionally, Even though the legal fees are an important consideration, you should also realize that you will be dealing with the manufacturer’s lawyers. If you do not have any legal experience, you may find yourself in over your head as the manufacturer’s lawyers continually postpone the case until you run out of time for your claim, or they use their experience to get the claim dismissed. Ultimately, hiring a lemon law lawyer will make the entire process much smoother and will significantly improve your chances of winning your claim, which should be more than enough reason to use one.